What is Counselling?
Counselling is a type of talking therapy that allows you to explore your thoughts and feelings. To find out more about therapy, follow this link:
What is therapy (opens a new window)
How can Counselling help me?
Only you know what you are going through. You may be going through a life changing event or you may simply be struggling to come to terms with something in your past. You may not even be aware of what it is that is bothering you. Counselling provides a safe, confidential and non-judgemental environment to explore your feelings and understand yourself better. That may sound very cliché but is entirely true. Counselling really is a way to become aware of your feelings and awareness is the first step to change.
Will you be able to cure me?
It does not work that way. My aim is to help you meet parts of yourself you may not have met before or may have lost touch with, and to gain fresh and new perspectives. The work we do together will empower you to discover the “cure” for yourself. Counselling is about empowerment and that is at the heart of everything we do.
How is talking going to help?
Talking is about communicating and conveying what is going through your thoughts to me. We rarely take the time to understand our feeling and lack the objectivity around what we feel to make sense of it. Through talking and listening, we work through your feelings and try and find a way through it all.
I am really anxious about seeing someone.
Yes, that is completely understandable. The thought can be daunting for many. The hardest part is perhaps admitting that you need some help. If you are reading this then perhaps it is a sign of your readiness for change. Feeling nervousness, fear and anxiety is normal and is expected. The first session is designed for this purpose and is a way for us to get to know each other.
Can you keep secrets? Will you judge me?
Yes, your secrets are safe with me and No I do not judge you, whatever your background and/or situation. What is discussed in the room – stays in the room! I am professionally required and consider it a personal obligation to hold in confidence everything that is discussed in the therapy room, without judgement or prejudice. There are exceptions to this set by the law and the ethical requirement of our profession. This will be discussed in more detail at the first session.
How long will it take?
Some folks need fewer sessions and others need more. I can work with you for a single session if that is what you seek but often work with 6 to 12 sessions with clients. Some clients need more sessions. We usually work this out together. Our best work starts when we get to know each other a little bit. I normally agree a review period with the client at the outset. It is usually between every 6 to 10 weeks. This allows us to manage expectations and to see if the work we are doing is on track with your expectations.
Who sets the agenda for the sessions?
You do. If we are working towards a goal that has been identified at the start of the sessions then I will try and remain in close proximity of it. But sometimes it is essential to explore other parts of the person to understand fully what it is that might be at the heart of the issue we are working with.
What if we don’t get on?
The relationship between the therapist and the client is paramount to any work that is done. I will hope that we will be able to get on but the reality is sometimes different. Finding the right therapist is quite important. Somebody you can trust and work with. If for any reason we do not get along, then I will encourage you to find someone you can work with. I have a list of colleagues who I can refer you to or you are welcome to find someone on your own.
What kind of therapy do you recommend for me?
I don’t prescribe a “kind of therapy”. I work integratively with different techniques and usually adapt to the different issues that you will bring to the therapy room. Together we will find a way of working that will be right for you. I use a number of techniques that encourage thought. I work with the person and not the presenting issue. And just as a person is unique, so is the method in working with them.
Do you need me to bring anything with me?
Just yourself! The most important thing to do is to turn up.